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There are as of this moment 366 people seeking the office of President of the United States of America next year, and as much as we apparently love the idea of He Who Shall Not Be Named 2016, some of the actual humans who've declared their candidacy sound just as fictional. The New York Times runs through some of the more colorful characters, many of whom seem quite taken with capital letters, who would like to get their hands on the nuclear codes:

John Green Ferguson, National Eco/Green Party & The Revolutionary 'Third Party' Movement: Ferguson appears to have caps lock on lockdown, and looks forward to "BEING ELECTED YOUR NEXT NEW 45TH USA PRESIDENT IN 2016 !!!" He offers his views and hawks things here.

The bar for filing FEC paperwork is pretty low, a rep tells the Times: "The only requirement to file that form is if they raise or spend more than $5,000. Anyone can file that FEC form." For more, including Vermin Supreme, check out the Times' full piece. (Americans, it turns out, are more jazzed about fictional villains than Clintons or Bushes.)

The Pirate Party is a serious international political party, and has elected several people in Europe. They were originally formed to deal with copyright issues, and fight the corporate interests that were throwing people in jail for pirating music and movies on the internet and trying to get people banned from using the internet based on mere accusations of copyright violation. I don't know if Kevin Deame is a serious member of that Pirate Party or just a guy who likes to go "Yarrrr!" and drink rum, but either way he's more serious than Donald Trump.

AEK

Jun 11, 2015 12:18 PM CDT

"Thomas Keister, for example, who is running under the banner of the Marijuana Party, has more Twitter followers than Mr. Chaffe". That is just too funny.

Bill Sherman

Jun 11, 2015 11:12 AM CDT

after GWB the bar is set so low, now anybody with half a brain thinks they could be pres. thanks, dubya for your legacy.